Permutation lock



Oct. 1, 1940. 5 sAw 2,216,356

PERMUTATION LOCK Filed June 13, 1939 INVEN'IZOR. Mam 0M6. awn/:1.

ATTORNEY.

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Patented Oct. 1, 1940 UNITED STATES earner orrics 2,216,355 PnnMn'rA'rroNL-oon Maryan E. Saw'icki, Franklin, N. H. Application June13, 1939, Serial No. 279,081

2 Claims.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a lock of simplified and sturdy construction and,

with certain novel features to make it more useful, particularly a lock which, in addition to the conventional control of the latch by tumblers actuated by dials, is provided with an additional control of said latch irrespective of the use of the dials. in view, my inventive idea rests upon the arrangement of parts and in the details of construction, which I shall hereinafter describe. It will be understood, however, that changes may be made in the construction shown by me without departing from the spirit and underlying idea of the invention.

I shall now describe my improved lock. with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 presents the front panel of my lock.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the lock.

Fig. 3 shows the rear wall of the casing of the lock.

Fig. 4 shows the same lock in an unlocked position.

Fig. 5 shows the internal construction of the lock in a locking position.

Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the lock taken on line S6 of Fig. 4. I

Fig. 7 shows a sectional view taken on line 11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 shows aperspective view of members controlling the movement of the latch.

Similar numeralsrefer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, It) indicates a plate I which may be afiixed to a door l2 or a drawer, as

the case may be, by screws l I. The plate may be separate from the casing in which the locking mechanism is contained. This arrangement is shown in the drawing, in which l2 indicates a door, while the front plate is on one side thereof and the casing containing the mechanism of the lock is on its other side, as shown in Fig. 2.

The mechanism of the lock shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, comprises two tumblers 20 mounted on horizontal spindles 2| disposed transversely to the length of the casing I1. I shall now describe one of such spindles and one of such tumblers, but it will be understood that the description applies to both spindles and both tumblers. One end 22 of the spindle, as shown in Fig. 7, is of a reduced diameter and is journalled within the rear plate of the casing IT. The front part 23 of the spindle is flattened and adapted to re-' ceive a knob 14 to impart a rotary motion thereto. Said tumbler is mounted loosely on spindle 2! but is retained in a fixed position by lock nut 24, forcing said tumbler into a fixed contact with a washer 25 interposed between said tumbler and the rear wall of the casing ll. Each tumbler 20 is provided with a slot 28 extending radially from With the foregoing and other objects down retracting thereby latch l9. seen, however, that the pins may be depressed the center of the respective tumblers to their respective peripheries. I wish to add that the rimof each tumbler is provided with transverse teeth or projections 43 which serve a special purpose, which I shall hereinafter describe. Disposed midway between said tumblers on their spindles 2i and at right angle to an imaginary line connecting said spindles and in the plane in which the said spindles are disposed, is a substantially square member 28 provided with an integrally connected leg 2s. A spring 30, coiled about said leg 29, holds said leg above an opening 39 in the lower wall of the casing ll, through which opening said leg may be lowered when actuated. Branching sideways from the upper part of the member 28 are two arms 3! extending into downwardlydropping tumbler pins 32, each of said pins forming at the end a V notch 42, so as to fit over one of the series of teeth 43 on the rim of tumblers 2i]. These pins are adapted to be projected into slots 26 in tumblers 20.

Rising above member 28 and integrally connected therewith, is a split shaft 33 supporting latch i9, which is movably mounted on said split shaft 33 and is capable of an independent movement with respect thereto. Normally said latch i9 is supported in a locking position above the upper wall of the casing by tension of spring 40. A pin 34, thrust through latch l9 and through the slot formed by split shaft 33, keeps said latch in place upon said shaft.

The above said member 23 is provided with a substantially triangular aperture 4|, the apex of said triangle projecting sideways with respect to the form of the square member 28. The square member mounted on its leg 29 may be made to move up and down, and this is accomplished by means of a crank shaft 35, comprising a shaft of reduced diameter 33, which is journalled in the rear wall of the casing and a crank 31 which is disposed within said opening 4| in member 28. The front end 36 of said shaft is flattened in order that a knob l3 may be seated thereon.

It will be seen from the drawing herein and from the description that there are two tumblers provided with slots 2% and that the lock may be opened only when both pins 32 may be depressed It will be down only when both slots 26 are aligned in such a manner that the depressed pins might slide into said slots. This is shown in Fig, 4. If one or the other of the tumblers is out of alignment, then said pins are not in a position tobe thrust into said slots. Ordinarily, therefore, in order to have the lock opened, that is, in order to have the latch withdrawn, said slots must be aligned as befcresaid, whereupon by means of the crank shaft 35, acting upon member 28, said member 28 is depressed downward ing on its spindle.

against tension of spring 29, which causes pins 32 to slide into slots 26 and allows latch l9 affixed to the split shaft 33 to be retracted into the casing. When this is done, the mechanism is in its unlocked position.

There is another way of opening the lock, which I shall presently describe. Before doing this, however, I wish to complete the description of the mechanism by referring to knobs l4, which are mounted on spindles 2|. It will be seen that said knobs are provided with pointers I6 and that these pointers move in a rotary motion over a dial I5, inscribed with appropriate numbers or letters. Since the tumblers are loosely mounted upon their respective spindles, it

is possible to select the opened or unlocked position of the mechanism by setting the dials in a definite rotary relation with respect to the slots inthe tumblers. In practice, when it is desired to set the lock to be opened on any predetermined numbers on the dials, the locking nuts 24 are loosened, the pointers are turned to the selected location of the dials, the tumblers are aligned so that the slots are directly below the pins 32, whereupon the locking nuts 24 are tightened against the faces of the tumblers respectively; then, whenever the pointers are brought back into the predetermined positions, the crank shaft by means of a knob i3, may be actuated to depress member 28, pins 32 will fit into slots 26 and latch l9 may be retracted into the casing of the lock As above pointed out, the rims of the tumblers are provided with teeth, while pins 32 are provided with V notches to fit over said teeth. The purpose thereof will be explained as follows: Were the rims smooth, it might be possible to depress member 28 with latch H! as far down as it possibly could go, but without having the pins 32 drop into slots 26, and then rotate each tumbler until possibly a click could be heard indicating that the pin 32 has come to slot 26. As it is, with these V notches engaging individual teeth, this is not possible, and when an attempt is made to lower member 28, these 'V notches will fit over projections or teeth 43. on tumblers 26, which will prevent the rotation of the tumblers. Such being the case, the chance of having some unauthorized person, unfamiliar with the proper setting of the dials, of opening the lock is very remote.

To facilitate the setting of the tumblers, a provision has been made in the casing for that purpose. This comprises two openings 44 in the rear wall of the casing, said openings being normally covered by plates 45 held in place by screws 4'5 and lugs 47 fitting into a depression in the casing. When screw 46is loosened, said plates 45 may be swung to one side so as to leave the opening 44 unobstructed. These openings are at such height that when slots 26 are positioned perpendicularly above spindles 2|, they are exactly opposite said slots. The sides of the casing are provided with removable plates 48 and when these plates are removed, a wrench may be inserted into the casing to unl'oosen the locking nuts 24, while a screw driver or some other instrument inserted through opening 44 into slot 26, will hold the respective tumbler from rotat- When the lock nuts have been unloosened and the dials set, then again said nuts may be tightened by means of a wrench inserted from the side into the casing.

As previously stated, the latch may be depressed down into an unlocked position, irrespective of the movement of the dials. This may be accomplished by means of a separate knob l 8 on the rear wall of the casing, said knob being movable up or down in a slot 49 cut in said wall. Said knob is mounted on pin 34 terminating outwardly in a threaded head 56. When it is desired to open the look, all that is needed is to have the knob depressed downward, thus actuating and depressing the lock against tension of spring without affecting the position of member 28 or pins 32 and without regard to the position of slots 26. When it is desired to have the latch permanently in this open position, all

that is necessary is to turn the knob 18 clockwise upon threaded head 56, whereupon by friction against the rear wall of the casing ll, said knob will remain in that position.

After having thus described my lock, what I wish to claim is as follows:

1. In a permutation look, a casing, tumblers rotatably mounted in said casing and having radial slots, means for turning said tumblers to predetermined positions, a plate slidable in said casing between the tumblers, a spring yieldably resisting downward movement of said plate, a neck extending upward from said plate and formed with a longitudinal slot, a latch operating through an opening in the casing and slida-bly engaged with said neck, a pin carried by said latch with a portion extending through the slot of said neck and a portion projecting outwardly from the casing through a slot therein and provided with a threaded head, a spring yieldably resisting inward movement of the latch independent of the neck, an actuating knob for saiclpin having threaded engagement with said head and when turned in one direction having binding engagement with the casing to releasably hold the latch stationary, an actuating shaft rotatable through said casing and having an offset portion engaging said plate to shift the plate. in opposition to the first spring and retract the latch when the shaft is turned in one direction, and members carried by said plate for engaging in the slots of the tumblers when the tumblers are in said predetermined positions and allowing movement for the plate to a position retracting the latch.

2. In a permutation lock, a casing, a plate slidable in said casing, a neck extending from the plate and formed with a longitudinal slot, a latch operating through an opening in said casing and slidably engaged with said neck, a pin carried by said latch with a portion extending through the slot of said neck and a portion projecting outwardly from the casing through a slot therein and provided with a threaded head, a spring yieldably resisting inward movement of the latch independent of the neck, an actuating knob for said pin having threaded engagement with said head andwhen turned in one direction having binding engagement with the casing to releasably hold the latch stationary, said latch being movable with the plate to a retracted position, a spring yieldablyresisting movement of the plate in a direction to retract the latch, means for shifting said plate in a direction to retract the latch, and means for controlling the movement of the plate in the direction to retract the latch including tumblers movable into predetermined positions for allowing the said inward movement of the latch.

MARYAN E. SAWICKI. 

